No brick-throwing from me...but you might be asking for something that ain't gonna happen. For the VF-19 design, your best bet is the Bandai 1/65 toys that came out when Macross 7 was airing. Besides the lack of diecast, they're not that far a cry from the original 1/55 VF-1's. Very sturdy, fun, and playable.

You can say "fuck Yamato", but look at Bandai's more recent offerings. I've handled all their Macross Frontier toys, courtesy of Andrew...and while they're great for what they are (gorgeous, but delicate "adult collectibles"), they're no more playable than Yamato's recent offerings (the Yamato 1/60 VF-1 2.0 is pretty damn flawless...except for the early ones apparently with shoulder bugs).

Yeah, I'd be curious which Yamatos you'd handled to come off with that opinion. The later 1/48s were stellar and totally handle-able toys, and the 1/60 line has gotten better and better. There's one or two duds in there, but most of them are fantastic. I am also a strong advocate of the older Yamato 1/72 Macross Plus line. Avoid the non-FP 11 because the hips break, but the 11 with FAST Packs and both 19s are killer pre-CAD-uber-tech-engineering TOYS.

Sanjeev Wrote:
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> No brick-throwing from me...but you might be
> asking for something that ain't gonna happen. For
> the VF-19 design, your best bet is the Bandai 1/65
> toys that came out when Macross 7 was airing.
> Besides the lack of diecast, they're not that far
> a cry from the original 1/55 VF-1's. Very sturdy,
> fun, and playable.
>
There's also the two reissues from around 2000.

Just ensure that there's a Bandai logo on the box, because there's lots of bootlegs out there (with horrible plastic quality).

That was a bit presumptuous of me, I'm sorry. I've never actually handled one for but a minute, but I've read quite a few reviews & whatnot. Their VF-1's just seem kinda meh to me. At least, "meh" enough to not warrant the $100-$200 price tag; speaking of which, I'd actually LOVE to get ahold of the 1/72 Plus valkyries, but they seem to go upwards to that $200 line, and I can't justify paying that much for a toy that I can, quite frankly, live without. I seldom drop more than $100 for a toy unless it's a "holy grail" of mine.

As for Bandai's recent offerings...well, the newest Macross toys I own are by Toynami (and, of course, the WAVE SDF-1 and a couple Revoltechs.) I've considered getting the Hi-Metal VF-1, but haven't brought myself around to it.

I guess the problem here is that I'm spoiled by Transformers; you can get a pretty nice, decent rendering of any given well-known character for between $10-$50, whereas you're pretty much guaranteed to break the bank for Macross toys. (GOOD Macross toys.)

Because of this, I've taken to the Takatoku stuff recently...it's slightly expensive, but it's playable & sturdy.

As far as Yamato goes..I dunno, I may get a TV Max 1A, the 1/72 Plus Valks, and maybe the Konig Monster...but all that's only if I acquire a LOT of extra cash.

Don't believe the hype. Or at least, take it with a grain of salt based on who's at the wheel. Some people love the Yamato Valks, some people hate them. Sometimes, they even explain why. ;)

The comparison is TFs is understandable. Afterall, they are transforming robot toys based on existing licensed characters. But after that, the similarities mostly end. It's a totally different market demographic and totally different economy of scale. It makes sense why Bandai and Yamato Valkyrie toys are so much more expensive than Hasbro/Takara TFs. If that drives you from them, and keeps you buying Transformers, that's fine. Hey, Classics Jetfire's pretty fucking sick. But if you really need that super-detailed Valk toy, you'll either have to suck it up and get a Bandai or Yamato...or stick with Toynami.

Your best bet is to check out a Bandai or Yamato that someone else has. Mess around with it. See if you're feeling it. Then make your choice.

Well, no need to dwell on my POV regarding Yamato-made Macross 'goods'. My preparations for house-moving is an excellent opportunity to review my collection and I've already sold off a fair bit of my non-GGG Brave Series and new-ish Microman toys at the local flea mart.

Next up is to clear off all my old 1/60 VF-1s as well as the Konig Monster. My buddy managed to clear his VF-0 last week. This week it's his 1/48s. Good riddance!

If one is a 'completist' or desires the most number of repainted variants in one scale, no contest – you go with the newest 2.0 Yamato 1/60s. Just lookout for the 1st batch of Hikaru 1Js... or whatever passes for 'unlucky show-stopper of the moment by Y-company'.

Nostalgia lovers NEED a couple of Takatoku 1/55s, if only for the mecha art by Yoshiyuki Takani and superior packaging.

Personally, once I've moved I might go looking for the current Bandai 1/100 Hi-Metals... but seriously, I don't need any more Valkyries. I walked past the local Yamato import specialist last Sunday and snickered at the beautifully crippled YF-19 2.0 in the window. FGSFTS!

Sanjeev Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The comparison is TFs is understandable. Afterall,
> they are transforming robot toys based on existing
> licensed characters. But after that, the
> similarities mostly end. It's a totally different
> market demographic and totally different economy
> of scale. It makes sense why Bandai and Yamato
> Valkyrie toys are so much more expensive than
> Hasbro/Takara TFs. If that drives you from them,
> and keeps you buying Transformers, that's fine.
> Hey, Classics Jetfire's pretty fucking sick. But
> if you really need that super-detailed Valk toy,
> you'll either have to suck it up and get a Bandai
> or Yamato...or stick with Toynami.
>
> Your best bet is to check out a Bandai or Yamato
> that someone else has. Mess around with it. See if
> you're feeling it. Then make your choice.

Well said. :) I have a couple of the 1/100 Toynami valks, but they're also kinda iffy...I think I'm going to get the 1/100 '1A CF, then call it quits for Toynami. I have classics Jetfire, and he is pretty damn cool, but also EXTREMELY frustrating! Why? Because he's living proof that a decent valkyrie toy COULD be made & I wouldn't have to give up a kidney for it. Could you imagine? DX-TF-sized valkyries packaged on blister cards for $10-$20 a piece? And I mean, TOY valkyries...not "completed models" like the Toynamis.

Another example of this line being teetered over: the variable Revoltechs. I enjoyed this toy, but it was far too wonky & disproportionate to warrant any high price (thankfully they're cheap, so I may get the 1J and 1S.)

It's entirely possible, and yet nobody has done it. You are correct that it is an entirely different market; people who collect the Valkyries seem to be akin to people that collect actual aircraft models or like media. However, my liking for Macross goes hand-in-hand with my liking of Transformers, Zoids, and Gundam: I watched the show, I liked the mecha, I wanted toys of the mecha to play with, and to be quite honest, I'm surprised this mindset isn't as common with Macross.

But the reality is that this would simply never happen. The initial investment capital required to contract multiple Chinese factories to produce TF-quality steel molds and assemble/package the toys at the same quality level as your average TF would be vast. But feasible, in theory. The problem is that TF fans worldwide utterly dwarf Macross fans. THEN, like you said, you're taking just a small subset of those fans who would go for something less cartoon accurate, though more toyetic. That's fine...but to overcome the initial investment (let alone make profit!), you'd have to charge a hundred bucks easy.

People rag on the old Yamato 1/72 Mac+ line, but I love them. I remember getting my 19 (I think v1, actually) along with a loose Gakken Rider Armor stuffed into the box years back. Ended up getting the blue 19 as well, which is gorgeous, and then I eventually added balljointed hips and wrists to my tan 19 before the 1/60 came out. If the 21 wasn't so floppy they'd still be one of the perfect pairs of mecha figures. Mine live in the boxes these days, but your pic makes me want to drive home and get my 19 out!

EDIT: I actually found pics! The data on these is 2006... this woulda been the scariest thing I had ever done at the time. I panel lined whatever was missing and faked a couple of markings freehand, and gave the whole thing a satin varnish coat.

Excellent work on the Old 19, and yes I agree there's something about the proportions that work a lot better for battroid compared to the plane-first design of the 2.0. I have never seen a single awe inspiring shot of the 2.0 in battroid mode. It always looks gangly and weak. Best left in fighter mode, and for that I have the Doyusha diecast :-)

drifand Wrote:
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> Sorry, the newer head does nothing for its
> demeanor. Looks more metro than killer :-)

The old head sculpt, and really the whole mold in general has this whole thuggish look to it that, while awesome, doesn't entirely fit the design from the anime. The 1/60 fig way more matches the sleekness and maneuverability demonstrated in the show.

Actually, now that the initial excitement is wearing off, the only one I'll probably get is the VF-1D (it would be nice to have a cheap one of those, as it's the first VF-1 you're introduced to.) But if it's good, I may move on to the other ones. I really need to get that 1/100 CF...but first I gotta get my taka 1/100 Max from Zormaster ;)

Actually, now that the initial excitement is wearing off, the only one I'll probably get is the VF-1D (it would be nice to have a cheap one of those, as it's the first VF-1 you're introduced to.) But if it's good, I may move on to the other ones. I really need to get that 1/100 CF...but first I gotta get my taka 1/100 Max from Zormaster ;)